Stormyskye re: immune system

Hi, Stormy -- Need your opinion, please, on effects of Pau d Arco v. Transfer Factor and other similar products on boosting the immune system. I have Pau d Arco on hand and take it periodically (like now). From what I understand in some of your other posts, you trade off supplements every few months, so what would be your choice for a good alternate immune system supporter?

Thanks for your response and all your excellent suggestions. I have been doing the aloe and lemon juice for a month or so now and think it has helped; also am using flaxseed meal and whey but not always in a shake formula. I put them on top of dry cereal, munch on a few almonds, slug down a few mineral tablets and that is it for now. An apple is just too much first thing in the a.m.

Again, thanks for all you do for so many people. You are my guru, as it were, for improving my life situation.

Stormy, very good explaination of what's going on with us! I think that's pretty on target. I've had the worst winter ever. I've been sick the entire winter. No sooner than I fight of one bug I get another. Time for nice warm weather and less bugs, I hope!

You did a super job explaining but being new to this much detail, I have to concentrate. It is encouraging to read your history of your illness and how far you have come in your search for wellness. I am currently taking a Solaray product as a probiotic but when it is gone will get Threelac. (I read your "C" word posts this morning and got a new lease on life plus more enthusiasm to try Threelac.) Sounds like I need to pick out another companion pest fighter like astragalus. Also, what does Abx mean? I am getting better at deciphering all the shorthand and abbreviations on this board but still don't know all of them.

Yes, I do eat an apple, but usually at lunch and not every day as suggested. When my "lazy stomach" kicks up, then I have to stick to peeled and/or cooked fruit. The major problem I have is with sugar and chocolate! Really a toughie, but I am improving. My hubby passed away two years ago and I have been consoling myself with goodies -- the baking and eating thereof -- but now I seem to be coming 'round the bend and getting my mind right about health, exercise, and diet. Again, thank you for your patient, patient replies to all the rest of us who benefit from your countless hours of research.

Thanks, this is encouraging. I will start blending! The pineapple/or juice is a great idea! It is hard to do these things in a moderate way. We all get so impatient to BE BETTER, AND RIGHT NOW! However, I think I already see a difference from using flaxseed nearly every morning. I also put it in salads, sandwiches, whenever I think about it. The whey is harder to get down, though, since it seems to have such a weird taste. I have cut back on cheese (nearly totally), sugar, white flour, red meat, sodium, and saturated fat products. Also think the probiotics are helping, especially since I went back to the Solaray product. So all in all I think this regimen is paying off (thanks to you, Stormy, and all the other wonderful people on this board). You have given me a new reason to persevere because I realize that there is some hope on the horizon instead of dead ends and no solutions.

I don't check this board every single day but that does not mean I have faded into the sunset . . . just too tired some evenings!

Stormy, I hope you are recovering from the bug. I have been lucky thus far . . . have my fingers crossed. I got a flu shot last fall, but that is no guarantee. I had a terrible cold in March of last year that evolved into a major sinus infection requiring antiobiotics, ABx (thanks for the explanation). I think that brought on my "osmia" problems, i.e., disfunctional smelling abilities, in my case probably parosmia (distorted sense of smell) and phantosmia ("phantom" smells that seem to come from nowhere). I have found a website and message board on Yahoo that is helpful.